?THERE ARE CREDIBLE SURVEYS and there are surveys that can be bought in Quiapo,? said Liberal Party standard-bearer Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III when asked about his declining numbers.

At a forum held saturday at De La Salle-Zobel School in Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa City, Aquino was asked by moderator Mike Enriquez what he thought of his sliding numbers compared with Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manny Villar?s surging ratings.

?Ah may survey na matino, may survey na nabibili siguro sa Quiapo (There are credible surveys and there are surveys that can be bought in Quiapo), ? he said in Filipino, adding that his two-percent decline was still within the margin of error.

The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey commissioned by a Villar ally in December showed that the lead of Aquino over Villar has narrowed to 11 percent.

Aquino was the choice of 44 percent of 2,100 respondents across the country in the SWS special yearend survey conducted from Dec. 27- 28, 2009.

Villar obtained 33 percent, narrowing the gap with Aquino to 11 percent, and improving his ratings from the 27 percent he got in the earlier Dec. 5-10 SWS survey.

Fewer ads

Aquino said that after the deadline for the filing of candidacy in December 2009, the LP followed the ?spirit of the law? mandating against pre-campaigning.

He said the time slots of his TV ads were few and far between.

?What is surprising to us, in spite of that ... we are maintaining the numbers,? Aquino said.

Turning to Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro, Enriquez said that in practically all the surveys, the former defense secretary only managed to obtain five percent.

?That is a challenge for me. My opponents are nationally elected senators. This is my first time to seek election for a national post. So I admit that we have a lot to change,? Teodoro said.

He also said he would try to ?overcome? this by going around the country, talking with volunteers and discussing national and local issues with the people.

For his part, Sen. Richard Gordon of Bagumbayan Party remained unperturbed by survey results.

Gordon, who scored 0.5 percent in the latest SWS survey, said: ?Then let?s not hold elections, let?s just conduct surveys,? eliciting applause from the crowd.

He stressed that the real election will be on May 10 when all the votes will be counted.

Hard work and patience

?Surveys can be easily manipulated,? Gordon said, explaining that as a candidate?s survey ratings improve, he or she gets more campaign funds.

Eventually, the candidate ends up heavily indebted and beholden to his benefactors, he said.

Told by Enriquez that Aquino had already overtaken him, Villar said he was only No. 6 when he announced his candidacy in early 2008.

?Through sheer hard work and patience, we will hit No. 1,? he said in Filipino.

Villar agreed with Gordon that managerial competence, not popularity, should be the gauge of a good president.

Aquino?s ratings have gone down since the euphoria over his candidacy after the death of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, according to Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr.

?I guess the emotional ... support for Noynoy is probably fading because as you will notice, his highest rating was immediately after the death and burial of his mother,? Pimentel said at the Kapihan sa Sulo forum yesterday.

If Aquino?s ratings were tallied, the downward slide of his numbers would be apparent, Pimentel said.

Before Aquino joined the race, Villar was the front runner. Pimentel is supporting Villar for president.

Lakas-Kampi senatorial candidate Silvestre Bello III said Villar?s numerous advertisements were working for him.

?Maybe the sheer number of infomercials was the reason he was able to catch up,? Bello told reporters in the same forum.